HIV diagnoses in Australia dips by 7%: Study

Sydney : HIV diagnoses in Australia have hit a five-year low, with a significant drop among homosexual and bisexual men, latest figures from a major study released on Monday said.

"The good news from the report is there's been a seven per cent decline in HIV diagnoses in the past five years, with 953 diagnoses in 2017, which compares to over 1,000 in previous years," Professor Rebecca Guy from the University of New South Wales said here.

"What's interesting this year is the decline has not been equal across all populations," she said.

The figures involving heterosexuals have increased by 10 per cent in the last five years, Xinhua news agency reported. While those among indigenous population were also twice those of the non-indigenous ones.

The declines were attributed to higher coverage of HIV testing and treatment in the country -- two important strategies, she added.

"The key message is, for people living with HIV, increasing tendency for more frequent testing must become "an established norm", Associate Professor Limin Mao added.